You've helped us raise £36,000 for Womankind Worldwide

By Jacob
14th Sep 2016

You've now helped us raise a staggering £36,000 for our 'For women' product partners Womankind Worldwide. If you're a regular visitor to our blog or follow us on social media, you're probably aware of some of the amazing work carried out by Womankind and their partners for women's rights around the globe.

We originally partnered with Womankind Worldwide for the launch of our 'For women' product in late 2014. We donate 20p - £1 (depending on the pack size) for every pack of 'For women' that you purchase. This has enabled us to donate over £36,000 so far to Womankind to help them set up valuable projects such as the Community Based Action Teams (COMBAT) in Uganda. COMBAT members strive to support women who have experienced violence, as well as raise awareness of the issue amongst the wider community.

NAWOU running a community conversation session to raise awareness about violence against women

Agaba Samuel

Agaba Samuel is a 33 year old motorcycle delivery worker from Kibalinga and a member of a NAWOU women's group.

"I am a COMBAT member. I raise awareness in my community, mediate with families and refer cases of violence against women and girls to the police. People respect me when I talk to them. I take my role very seriously. Becoming a COMBAT has changed my life. The lives of the people I talk to have also changed.

The work of a COMBAT is not an easy. You cannot predict what violence will be reported to you on a daily basis. But we embrace the challenge.

I raise awareness of the basic right to life, education and family for women and girls. Many children in my town are treated very badly. Some girls are abandoned by their parents, so I take them to the police to receive legal protection. Otherwise they would have nowhere to sleep.

One case I remember well was Joan, a primary school student.

Joan had a very big wound on her leg as a result of walking a long distance. She said she had been sent away from home by her Aunt whom she was staying with. She wasn’t living with her father as he lived with another woman who didn’t want Joan. So she and her siblings had gone to her Aunt’s house as they weren’t in contact with their mother. But now she has been sent back.

Joan said that now she had returned, her father had punished her for being rude by ordering her to stay at home for one year without going to school. I went with some other COMBATs to talk to him. We told him that she has the right to education and to be looked after properly at his house. After mediation and counselling, Joan’s father and his girlfriend agreed to look after Joan and take her back to school. Joan is now started attending Kyakajanku Primary School."

Agaba Samuel is a fantastic example of some of the great work that you've helped us fund.

COMBAT members raising awareness amongst community service providers

How your support can help:

£35 can provide a woman access to an emergency grant enabling her to report violence and abuse and access medical attention.

£69 can fund a radio programme which raises awareness around violence against women and girls.

£138 trains 5 COMBAT members like Agaba Samuel on how to support survivors of violence and help them access the support they need.

£1,071 can provide training for 60 women on how to run a Village Loans and Savings Association, providing women with financial independence.

These amounts really exemplify how much of an impact your money has made since the launch of our 'For women' product, so we'd like to say a HUGE thank you for all your donations and for helping Womankind carry out such valuable work.